IT—Information Technology and the Human Interface: Tractor Vibration Severity and Driver Health: a Study from Rural India

Abstract

Measurements of vibrations were conducted on tractors of different sizes under varying terrain conditions. Analysis has been done in terms of root mean square (rms) accelerations in one-third-octave band and International Standard Organisation (ISO) weighted overall rms. The values were compared with ISO 2631-1,1985 and 1997 standards. The comparisons reveal that measured vibrations exceed the ‘8 h exposure limit’ in one-third-octave frequency band procedure of ISO 2631-1 (1985) on both farm and non-farm terrains. In the overall ISO-weighted rms acceleration procedure of ISO 2631-1 (1997) in all farm and non-farm terrains working time of 3 h exceeded the upper limit of ‘health guidance caution zone’. A tractor-operator model was adapted for prediction of the rms accelerations on the ISO 5008 track. This model gave results for vibration exposure similar to measured values. Effect of whole-body vibrations on degenerative changes in the spine of 50 tractor-driving farmers was evaluated by comparing them with a control group of 50 non-tractor-driving farmers matched for age, sex, ethnic group, land holding and work routine. All participants were interviewed in detail for occurrence of low back pain, examined clinically and a magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the lumbar spine region was obtained. Evaluation of data revealed that the tractor-driving farmers complain of backache more often than non-tractor-driving farmers but there was no significant objective difference in clinical or magnetic resonance imaging between the two groups.